Dear Mark,
This happened to me just this past week, and I was
wondering if the casino cheated me out of money
that should have been legally mine. I lined up three
bars and was supposed to get a $10 return. Instead
of getting a small $10 jackpot, the machine started
dumping coins (dollars) into the tray until it was
almost full. Immediately, the change person who
happened to be standing behind me informed her boss
on a walkie talkie, who within seconds came running
up and to tell me the money in the tray was not
mine. I figure it is hard enough hitting these machines
in the first place, so whatever falls in the tray
should be mine. Naturally, all I ended up with was
the $10. I didn't make much of a fuss in the casino,
but I still want to know whether I was cheated out
of money that was rightfully mine? June J.
You
have described, June, the "runaway" hopper.
The hopper is where the coins are stored in the machine
until paid out on your wins. If the hopper continues
raining coins into the tray long after it should have
stopped, in your case $10, it is called a runaway.
Now the $25,000 question. Is all the money that drops
in your tray legally yours? Sorry, June, I wish I could
tell you what you want to hear, but I cannot.
The excess money dropped
into the tray because of a machine malfunction and
still belonged to the casino. Granted, over the
years I've seen many a winner-by-malfunction praise
the Gaming God for a balancing bonanza for money
lost, scoop out the tray and run like hell. But
the slot attendant on the scene did the correct
thing in giving you only your correct payoff. She
should have put the rest of the coins back into
the hopper. Did you happen to notice?
